Heat, the land was filled with heat. It poured down from the brilliant yellow/white sun overhead. Azaxia liked the heat, it reminded her of her own time when the whole planet was as warm as the equator. Back then the planet had been much younger, 66 million years was a very long time if you thought about it, but Azaxia was content to live in the now and not the then. The Doctor tried to teach her about the planet as it was now, infested with dirty mammals that warred with itself for no reason, but she wasn’t interested. There was so much else to discover, after she had finished enjoying the heat of course.
The Doctor sat on the deckchair by the TARDIS doors. He held a bottle of ginger pop in one hand and a bag of pickled onion crisps in the other. “I do like the sunshine Azaxia. It’s good for the skin, in moderation of course. Everything’s good if taken in moderation.” He sat up suddenly. “I know. Why don’t we go for a walk? You can see how humans live, they’re most remarkable if you learn how to appreciate them.”
“They’re nothing special, believe me.” Azaxia sighed. “This isn’t their world, but they took over after my people decided to hide away, instead of facing their fears. We created science that could split the electron before primates had hardly even evolved.”
“Your people will awaken when it’s their time. They will share custody of this planet with the humans one day.”
“Share? I suppose we have a lot to teach them but we’ll never be equal.” Azaxia was the product of 200 million years of evolution, while humans could muster up a mere 6 million at best. If only they didn’t smell so bad.”
“You have an acute sense of smell, I’ve got a cream somewhere that may help.”
“How will you persuade them all to wear it?”
“It’s for you, it’ll dampen your sense down a little.”
“A predator hunts by sense of smell.”
“You don’t need to hunt anymore, humans invented agriculture. That’s something your people never managed to achieve. Yes you kept food animals but there’s so much more to running a farm than fattening up cows for slaughter.”
“Now you’re making me feel hungry.” Azaxia sulked and went into the TARDIS.
The Doctor smiled to himself as he packed his goodies up.

The market place was always busy, during the morning it was salted fish, the after noon it was spices, evening was given over to tobaccos and the night was when the less legal business transactions were made. Simon didn’t care about these things, unless he could see a way to make money from them. He would run errands or carry heavy boxes for a pittance, but it was money to buy food with. Stealing was punishable by chopping a hand off and Simon had seen several boys his own age with just one hand. He had to be smarter than that. He only stole if he could get away with it. Tourists were easy game, they were careless and left things lying about where someone could just pick it up and melt into the crowd.
Simon had been living alone and uncared for three years now. Ever since that day at the orphanage when he had grown tired of the daily punishments given to him by the nurses because he was different. His father had been a tourist who had gotten a local woman pregnant and knew nothing about his birth. His mother had died in childbirth and the hospital had given him to the orphanage once he was deemed fit and healthy. No one had ever loved him. His whole life had been one of sadness and solitude.
The other children refused to play with the 'foreigner' even though he had been born in the city and others had not. The nurses showed him no kindness, assigning all the horrible chores to make him suffer. His education consisted only of listening to a small radio set and making himself learn to read the discarded newspapers and comics. At the age of thirteen he had come to resent his lot in life, in another three years they would throw him out to fend for himself.
However that seemed like a step up so he did not wait to endure three more years of the orphanage, he escaped one night while the others were sleeping. His first night in the cold air he wept tears of joy. To earn money for food he would beg or do odd jobs for the local men. They didn't pay more often or not, laughing at him usually. But the money he did make bought enough food to keep starvation at bay. For three years he used every idea and trick he could invent to part tourists from their money. He hated them. He imagined each man was the father that had abandoned him before he was born and he was only too glad to get some measure of revenge by taking their money.


The TARDIS materialised next to a sleeping camel. It didn’t even notice as two figures exited the strange blue box. The Doctor pointed down one street at random and they set off in the opposite direction.

Simon spotted the two strangers. The old man dressed like a wealthy fool with too much money, but his eyes revealed the truth. They were not the eyes of an old fool. They were the swift, searching eyes of a thief or a policeman. His bearing tended to indicate the latter, but there was a sort of honesty about him that Simon just couldn’t place. In his short life he had never seen a single foreigner that he liked before, this man was the first one that he felt he could like. His woman was a different matter, although she dressed in the black veil of the devout Muslim faith, she did not carry herself like one at all. She walked like a lizard stalking scorpions in the desert. Her eyes were bright yellow and bore no signs of kindness in them. Somehow he managed to think of a line to say. “I haven’t eaten in four days sir, I am weak with hunger and thirst.”
The Doctor looked down at the young man. “You have ketchup on your chin.” He smiled. “I think I can spare a few minutes to see that you get a proper meal.”
“My hunger is also great.” Azaxia added. “Perhaps I should consume this child and satisfy it?”
“Hmmm, no he’s far too scrawny.” The Doctor joked. “I’m sure there’s a place around here that serves fresh meats and excellent freshly baked bread.”
“I know just the place.” Simon smiled. “They are not expensive and they will not mark you for the pickpockets attentions.”
“Excellent.” The Doctor replied. “Lead the way.”


Her hunger sated, Azaxia was now in an almost pleasant mood. She found the young human almost tolerable to be around. “What is the function of this settlement?”
The Doctor put down his jam sandwich. “It has one of the world’s largest outdoor markets. Almost anything from around the world is traded here. We could pick up some great bargains if we’re prepared to haggle.”
“The shop keepers always charge foreigners more than the locals.” Simon felt some sort of debt needed to be repaid for the meal, although not too much as they were still tourists and not to be trusted.
“The art of haggling is an ancient one, based on supply and demand. Goods are only worth as much as people are willing to pay for them. The better the goods the higher their asking price. As I have a rather keen eye for detail, Simon, I feel sure that they won’t get too much past me.”
Simon could almost imagine the old man being forced to hand over his expensive jewellery to pay for a cheap trinket. “I can tell you which traders are more honest than others.”
“I’m sure you can Simon, but there wouldn’t be much fun it, would there?”
Before Simon could reply the strange woman stood up.
“I can smell smoke, there is a large fire nearby.”
The Doctor bundled his uneaten sandwiches in a napkin and put them in his pocket. “We should see if we can help.” He raced outside, but the street was full of panicking people. “Listen to me.” He shouted but was unheard.
“I think I might have more success.” Azaxia removed her cumbersome headscarf.
Simon recoiled in fear as he gazed at the face of a demon. “Devilback!”
Azaxia ignored the human boy and walked outside. “The fire is coming from the east, you must go west to avoid it.”
The crowd looked at the demon and they all ran away from it as fast as they could.
“Humans.” The Doctor remarked coldly. “Not their finest hour at all.”
“They fear me.” Azaxia smiled. “That is good.”
Simon waited until the two strangers left, before following them at a distance.

The Doctor unlocked the TARDIS. “Home, sweet, home.” He entered first.
Azaxia looked around at the primitive human city. She spotted the human child who had followed them all the way back here, and then she went into the TARDIS.
Simon raced across the street and slid inside the strange blue wooden tent just before the door closed. However he was very surprised to find that the inside was like a large museum or art gallery. He had read about them in a newspaper once. The walls were distant and most had strange round markings on them.
“What are you doing in here?” The Doctor asked. “It’s too late to take you back now, I’ll have to return you the next time I’m passing by your time.”
“It might be good for you to have someone else around.” Azaxia said to the Doctor.
“I thought you said you hated humans.”
“As a species of course, but this one could be tolerable in small doses. As long as he bathes regularly.” Azaxia planned to ask about that smell reducing cream later on, but for now she had more important things to do, like study the human to learn more about its species. “I’ll be in my room if you want me.” She left the Doctor and the primate to get acquainted.
Simon looked around. “Is this a hotel or something?”
“Certainly not.” The Doctor replied. “The TARDIS is a ship that can travel anywhere and any-when in the Universe. I am the Doctor, I am a Time Lord.”
“Really? I never met a real Lord before. Merde, I think this means I am a tourist now.” Simon’s whole world rearranged itself in a fraction of a second and he knew that his old way of life was over and something new and much more strange was just beginning.
“I prefer the term adventurer myself.” The Doctor smiled. “I’ll explain the rules of the ship later on, but first tell me how you like your tea…”